“Well, there’s only so much we can do in a week, and given his stout stature, it gets a little harder.” Elder Leo observed good-naturedly.
“Dwarves donnae run, we fight our foes head-on.” The young dwarf held his head up high as he touched the haft of the axe he had at his side.
“Oh, sweet summer child.” I patted his head, taking in the youthful stubbornness in his demeanor. “You’re a mage of the earth. Granted, you can move stone and manipulate it, but you aren’t made of it.”
“I be made from metal, Zeke, ye be know’n tha’, yer kin yerself, ye ought not be sayin’ daft things like tha’.” He looked a little deflated.
“Ancestrally, yes.” I cuffed his arm affectionately. “Look, Fainnir, I’m teasing you. You’re gonna need tough skin if you come to fight with the rest of us, okay? Jaken, Muu, and I will be looking out for you, don’t you doubt that. The others will protect you too, but you’ve got some respect to earn. Okay?”
“Aye, tha’ be expected, an’ I be welcomin’ it.” Fainnir thumped his fist to his chest three times as if to say bring it.
“I leave you alone for barely a moment, and already you lose yourself to your dialect. Please have some decorum, Fainnir,” Pebble’s rumbling reproach caught the boy off guard, and he jumped.
James snorted, and I just shook my head. “Thanks for everything you do, Elder Leo, and thanks for looking out for our friends, here.”
“I am always happy to serve this world.” Elder Leo jabbed his right fist into his left hand, then bowed as he held them forward a little. “My friends, good luck on your journey, and Fainnir—be careful.”
The dwarf nodded once, and both he and James bowed respectfully. I did the same, my arms at my sides, bending at the waist, but keeping my eyes on him. Once we all stood upright, I touched Fainnir and James on their shoulders and cast Teleport to get us back to the party.
Chapter Fourteen
I blinked as we appeared about twenty feet from the dome of shadows Maebe was obscuring the others with.
“Zeke, you forgot Pebble!” James groaned, and I winced.
“Oh, no need to worry.” Fainnir smiled as he wove his fingers together in front of him and pressed out, the joints cracking. His old dialect shifting like Pebble had wanted. “I can summon ‘im anywhere. Watch.”
Fainnir waggled his fingers over the ground, stomping once and raising his voice as he spoke, “Pebble, attend your master!”
“You did always have a flair for the dramatic, Fainnir,” Pebble spoke dryly from behind us. “Thank you for attempting to sound clearer in your speech.”
“Woah, Pebble, dwarves aren’t stupid for speaking the way they do,” James defended the young mage.
“It is not that they sound ‘stupid’ as you put it, but that other elementals may not understand him through his dialect, and therefore may not do what he wishes them to do.” Pebble held out an oddly shaped arm. “He could ask for one thing, and they could misunderstand and end up killing him, or getting someone hurt who would otherwise be saved by him working on how he presents his desires through audible noise. It is not meant to insult the dwarves, nor make others feel poorly—it is to save his life.”
“I’ve never really heard speaking referred to like that.” I laughed out loud and stared at the elemental. “Let’s go introduce you to everyone.”
“Where?” Fainnir glanced around.
It was Pebble who pointed toward the dome. “There are several creatures of varying sizes over there, but I cannot see them. Why is this, tiny druid?”
“First of all, call me Zeke, Pebble, and second….” I pointed to the barrier, though I knew they couldn’t see it. “That would be magic. My lovely wife and I can control and manipulate shadows. This allows us to be hidden from outsiders and keep us safe.”
“How did you know they were there?” James asked, then stared at the elemental’s legs, still connected to the ground. “You can feel them through the earth, can’t you?”
He nodded once and tromped toward the dome. I reached out with my mind and created a hole large enough for all of us to walk through.
The others watched us in idle curiosity, Muu was the first to speak, “Hey there, Pebble, where’s that fleshy lump usually attached to you?”
“He be right here!” Fainnir flew at the dragon-kin with a grin on his face and his arms out wide. “Ye get uglier every time I look at ye!”
“Well, I’d imagine looking at people’s chins all the time doesn’t help,” Muu shot back as he pulled the dwarf into a great big hug. “How have you been? How’s the family and clan?”
“Well, they were nae—not—pleased with me having to come topside, but they understand that I have to grow in me own way. Though it took a mean bit o’ convincin’ to be allowed me leave from the city.” He shrugged and scratched himself on the leg. “I’m pretty new to all of this meself, so, whatever ye can do, I’d be appreciatin’ it.”
“Well, this must be Fainnir, then.” Yohsuke wandered over to us and looked over the smaller beings before him. “So, you’re the earth mage that Zeke and Muu have been gushing about?”
“He is the only one, but why would they ‘gush’ over him?” Pebble sounded confused as he glanced at the rest of us. “Oh! That was a turn of phrase, correct?”
I nodded, then spoke to the others, “Guys, as Yoh pointed out, this is Fainnir. Fainnir, these are my brothers. Yohsuke, the guy in front of you, James, and Muu, our two dragons, Balmur the dwarf you’ve likely heard about, and Bokaj, the guy in the back with the kitty. Jaken, of Clan Mugfist, you likely saw around when you went to meet Muu, but he’s the big Fae-orc in armor.” I flinched as Kayda’s mind brushed against mine. “Also, this is my first familiar, Kayda, she’s really very gentle, so you don’t need to worry about her hurting you. And this is my wife, Queen Maebe, Mistress of the Void and Chilling Winds.”
Maebe’s teeth flashed in the low light as her smiling form stepped closer. “That was a new reference and title, husband.”
Her purr over that last word was so nice, but Fainnir pulled me out of my desire—literally, as he pulled me down by my arm to whisper, “What do I do when addressin’ a Queen?”
I glanced over to see Maebe, uncertainty on her face, begin to raise her hand in protest when I spoke, “Well, Fainnir, what you do with royalty is give them deference, and show respect. To someone of Queen Maebe’s station, a bow at the waist would be a good way to show respect when she comes into your presence or you into hers. While those who don’t serve her might bow, those who do serve her would kneel. So, you would bow.”
He looked a little flustered for a moment, but Maebe stayed her hand and allowed me to go through the motions of showing him how to bow properly. He had his arms at his side, then bowed his head down entirely too low.
“Fainnir, son of Granite and Natholdi, he of Clan Lighthand and friend of my husband and my friends, raise your head and know that I welcome you into my presence, child.” Fainnir raised his head, his eyebrows furrowed and shrugged.
“Thank ye, m’lady.” He smiled good-naturedly as she returned his easy appreciation.
“None of that. You may call me Maebe in this company, and this company only. Is that something I can trust you to do?” She raised an eyebrow at the young dwarf, who nodded enthusiastically.
“Good.” Yohsuke clapped his hands together as he regarded Fainnir. “So, kid, what can you do, and have you eaten?”
“I can do magic, an’ I can fight with me hands an’ axe!” The weapon he had mentioned was in his hands almost instantly, and he swung it around excitedly.
“Hey—woah!” Jaken hopped forward in time to catch the offending weapon in a gauntleted-hand and pulled him back a bit. “Easy on the friendly fire, buddy.”
“Ah, sorry.” Cheeks flushed red, the bashful dwarf put his weapon away swiftly, his stomach rumbling. “Aye, I could use a nibble.”
Yoh went and grabbed some food off his skillet and put it on an extra plate. “Here yo
u go.”
While Fainnir wolfed down his chow, the rest of us waited patiently. Maebe pulled me aside to whisper into my ear.
“You did well, teaching him like that.” Her breath brushed against the side of my neck, and it sent thrills down my spine. “He should know how to treat royalty, and I almost stopped you. I am sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I brushed her hand with my own, lightly caressing her fingers before continuing, “I know how being constantly treated like an outsider and too special, ruins your fun here at times. It’s okay.”
Her lips feathered against my neck. “I love you.” I pulled her into a hug and gave her a peck on the lips.
“Later, we can be more affectionate,” I grumbled into her forehead and brought myself to step away so that I could join the others. I felt her hand on my back and knew I would be keeping my word.
“What level are you, Fainnir?” Muu’s loud question startled us. The dwarf stopped chewing and glanced from the dragon-kin to the rest of us. “I only ask because I can’t see it, no matter how hard I focus.”
“That is because the elemental Primordials are protecting him with anonymity,” Pebble explained before the boy could respond. “It isn’t rare for people to have items that hide their level, but he is still very new to all of this. This newness means that he could be easily manipulated and taken control of—or murdered. If you wish them to know, Fainnir, you may tell them. But do not share your status screen.”
“Well, I be knowin’ that bit of it, that be a very intimate thing.” He grumbled before taking a bite and chewing slowly. His head swiveled around as he looked for spies and finally, he stated, “I be level four.”
“That’s not terrible, and you’re still young yet, so there’s no reason to be bashful or shy about it.” Jaken put a comforting hand on Fainnir’s shoulder and smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry, we have your back. And Zeke will be teaching you how to help control your elemental magics, so you’re in good hands.”
“I will assist as well.” Maebe raised her chin high as if daring any of us to tell her no. “I am quite adept at shadow magics, and that is one of the newest elements. I am certain that there is not too much of a difference.”
“Adept?” Balmur snorted, the others looked at him, and he just laughed harder. “If you’re an adept, we have to be less than beginners. Your mastery of shadows and use of the void and ice is so insane that to call you anything less than a master or grandmaster level mage with those kinds of magic would be equivalent to a death sentence for anyone who doubts you.”
“I am truly glad that you are with us again, my friend, and it is my privilege to teach you all that I know.” Maebe sauntered over and lifted him bodily into a hug that made the man grunt in what sounded like pain.
“Speaking of, what kind of combat capabilities do the two of you have?” James cleaned his weapons, the blades of his fist weapons almost dyed red with gore from previous fights, but he watched Fainnir and Pebble in interest.
“Well, I can usually have Pebble do a little bit o’ fightin’ for me, while I take a more ‘hands-off’ approach to things with some minor earth spells,” Fainnir explained, then pulled out a tiny pipe, his eyes lighting up as he did so.
“Hey, woah, woah!” I scrambled toward him, snatching the object out of his hands, and he regarded me strangely. “The hells do you think you’re doing?”
“Having a pipe o’ larder moss to settle me stomach and mind, Zeke, it’s something most dwarves do,” He blinked at me, and I growled.
“Most dwarves aren’t you!” I fought the urge to crush his property. “Do your parents know that you do this shit?”
“They encourage it,” Muu spoke up. I turned a cold eye his way, but he didn’t back down. “Something about the moss that they smoke allows them to digest things more quickly and energize their body faster. It’s weird, I tried it, and it didn’t do anything for me, but they encourage him to do it. Leave him be, besides, he’s an adult now by dwarven standards.”
My teeth grated against each other as I mulled it over. If it wasn’t harmful, who was I to stop him from doing something his own parents encouraged? As a father, I could respect that other parents would parent their child how they pleased. I could only hope that they would have the courage to keep my son from doing something harmful to himself or others the way I had tried just now.
I held the item out to him. “Sorry, Fainnir, I didn’t know.”
“Ignorance be something tha’ happens when no one asks what they need be askin’, Zeke.” He patted my hand and nodded sagely. “Ye been clan but a little while, and ye have nae spent time with dwarves en masse for long. Maybe a week or so at the most? Our ways be new to ye, and I’ll nae be the one to hold it against ye. Aye?”
“You make my life hard, Fainnir,” Pebble grumbled but was mostly ignored.
“Did you understand what he just said?” Maebe whispered with awe as she watched Fainnir light his pipe and puff on it merrily.
“I did, and it was very wise and kind.” I smiled at her then the kid, and we went about our night.
***
We woke up the next morning well-rested and ready to rock. Our breakfast was hearty, our camp spotless thanks to Pebble and Fainnir’s magic coupled with my own Druidic powers, and it looked like Nimran’s Flame was expecting us. Pebble had been ordered into the ground by Fainnir for a little bit, at least until we got into the dungeon, and he could summon him again so that no unnecessary attention was brought onto us by the strange creature.
As we came into view, the group that had been waiting for us began to look us over.
“More than there were yesterday, but that’s alright.” Yani sniffed as he looked us over and walked around all of us. It made me a little uncomfortable, but if I wanted to, and with Maebe and the others’ help, I could kill him, and we could storm the place. I relaxed a little more after that thought.
“If you return, you will pay us a total of twenty percent of the loot you earn in the dungeon, and the crown ten percent rather than the full twenty that it normally is,” Yani explained in a bored, but matter-of-fact tone. “If you do not and you lie to us, we will know, and you will be slaughtered on sight if you try to return.”
“And what if we die?” Bokaj eyed the walls for the third time since we had arrived.
“We loot your corpses, and all will be well anyway.” One of the men who was with the group smiled, until Yani backhanded him in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.
“Weakness is a curse we have been striving to cure this land of for generations, your deaths will be a cleansing if you were to fall, but we will not seek to harm you unless you start something we must finish; I swear this by our gods.” His eyes widened at the notification he had likely received, and he just dismissed it. “Ah, let us see you into the dungeon then, yes?”
We walked on into murder alley, my eyes wandering over the archers and spearman who watched us almost casually with their weapons at a mild ready.
“What can you tell us about the dungeon?” I asked as we moved further in, shadows deepened as the crack in the mountainside looked higher and higher.
“Nothing, that is our rule, and over this way, you will sign a waiver.” Yani motioned to a table set up outside of a large metal door. There were smooth stones on top of papers, eight of them. “Janic, go and get another waiver from the locker, be swift.”
One of the other men who had been with the group, a younger-looking man with blond hair, sprinted away to our left into a room. A moment later, he returned and slapped the paper onto the table with a similar stone.
“How are we supposed to sign these waivers without ink and quill?” Yohsuke asked, knowing full well that James had one in his inventory.
“These waivers are signed by blood, as some of the men and women who come to this place do not know their letters well enough to sign their names.” A sense of unease settled over us, and I could almost feel the others tensing. “I know what yo
u are thinking, ‘but Yani, blood is a very precious thing to be spilled so lightly.’ These stones seal and dry the blood so that it can never be used in anything other than this contract. Besides, it is really only so that your family cannot come seeking petty revenge because you were too weak to succeed.”
I blinked at the man in front of us. What an ass. But he did have a point, and it did seem to be a sound judgment call.
I tapped the stone on top of the paper before anyone moved.
Security Stone
Dries any blood that touches any paperwork this stone rests upon, rendering it utterly useless in any matters unrelated to the dispensation of the terms agreed upon. Limit of one stone per page, per marking.
Stone enchanted by grandmaster enchanter T’lovic Missanderiyt
I nodded to the others and muttered, “Stones are legit.”
I looked over the waiver; it seemed to be standard. The party of the first could not be held liable in the event of the untimely death of the second party by any and all would be prosecutors or pursuant of justice. That the second party will pay any taxes on any monetary gains inside the dungeon should they return to the dungeon entrance, and anything undeclared upon return will result in a merciless slaughter for compensation.
I glanced over in time to see that the others had jabbed their fingers with a dagger that we passed among ourselves. Once it was my turn, I wiped the blood off on my pant leg, then pricked my left thumb before pressing it onto the X on the page. The blood instantly dried a dull brown, dehydrated to the touch upon inspection, and then Yani had it in hand.
“Ouch!” Fainnir grumbled as I saw him raise his right hand from the axe on his hip. “Ne’er thought the first blood on me axe would be me own.”
I couldn’t help the wry smile that split my face at his grumbling, then patted his shoulder. “Well, you could’ve used this dagger, but don’t worry, little brother, you’ll have your chance to split some skulls. No worries.”
Into the Darkness: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Axe Druid Book 4) Page 33